The Coinage of the Gupta Empire and its Imitations c11.s1.32

c11.s1.32

The obverse of this class is similar to that of Class I, but there are greater variations in the position of the king. He is seen usually wearing a *dhoti* instead of a trouser. The goddess on the reverse is always seated on a lotus. She holds a noose in the right hand and a lotus in the left. The latter is sometimes bent up, sometimes akimbo and sometimes resting upon the thigh. So far no specimens of this class have been found, where the goddess is either scattering coins by the right hand or holding it out empty. We have distinguished 15 varieties in this class. The variety A (Pl. IV. 13-14) shows the king standing to left, with bow held at the top in the left hand and arrow in the right. The name of the king *Chandra* is written under the left arm. The coins of this variety are most common; in the Bayana hoard and Lucknow museum out of 798 and 55 coins of the Archer type, as many as 700 and 42 belong to it. Coins in this variety were issued to three weight standards of 121 grains, 124 grains and 127 grains, but the former is most common. In variety B (Pl. IV. 15; V. 1), which is rather rare, there is a crescent near the *Garuda* standard or above the head of the king. In variety C (Pl. V. 2), we have a *chakra* at the same place. It recalls the *Chakradhvaja* of Kacha. In variety D (Pl. V. 4), the king stands to left, but he is looking to right. This variety follows the weight standard of 121 grains only. Variety E (Pl. V. 3) shows the king with a small whip by his side and variety F (Pl. V. 5) with a sword. Coins of variety E follow all the three weight standards of 121, 124 and 127 grains. But all the coins of the variety F weigh in the vicinity of 127 grains. Variety G (Pl. V. 6) is similar to variety A, but its reverse shows the goddess seated upon a beautiful lotus with her right leg hanging down. The coins of this variety all belong to the 121 grains weight standard. Variety H (Pl. V. 7) differs from variety A in having the legend *Chandragupta* on the reverse instead of the usual one *Srivikramah*. In Variety I, (Pl. V. 8, 11), the king stands to left, but holds the bow in the right hand and the arrow in the left, his name *Chandra* being written not under the left but under the right arm. *Garuda* standard is on the right. Variety J (Pl. V. 9) is similar to variety I, but the king looks to right and has no arrow in the l. hand, which rests on the hip. It may be that the king is shown as holding the bow in the left hand in these two varieties, either because there was a desire to represent the king as ambidextrous or because the artist was merely desirous to produce a different positional effect. The coins of these two varieties all weigh in the vicinity of 120 grains. In variety K, (Pl. V. 10) *Chandra* is written between the bow-string and the bow, which is held at the top in the left hand, and the king is drawing an arrow from a quiver by the right. The quiver stands in the place of the altar of the Standard type and was actually mistaken for one by Mr. Burn, who first published this coin.¹ But Mr. Allan seems to be right in holding that the object under consideration is a quiver; one can see several arrow-heads peeping out of its opening. A quiver, it must be however added, is hardly ever placed on the ground in the way it is shown on this coin. In variety L (Pl. V. 14), the king is looking to right and holding the bow by the middle with string outside, *Chandra* being engraved to the right of the the string. The variety M (Pl. V. 15) is similar to variety L, but the king is looking to left and his name does not at all appear on the obverse under the left arm. The variety N, which has not been illustrated but only referred to,² is similar to variety A, but the name of the king is written outside the arrow near the left margin.